urban heat island effect, and the issue of urban overheating is now recognised in Approved Document Part O of building regulation standards. Green and blue infrastructure and natural green surface cover provide multiple benefits, including space for biodiversity, supporting wellbeing for people, as well as promoting climate resilience through slowing and storing rainwater during intense downpours and promoting cooling during extreme heat events. Artificial turf is a particular concern in relation to these factors, and the council is not generally supportive of its use other than in formal sports and recreation facilities.
The provision of urban greening, landscaping, public realm, open space, biodiversity net gain, tree and hedgerow planting, and SuDS should be seen as complementary rather than as wholly additional requirements, as they can often be co-located within a development site and contribute towards a variety of policy outcomes. Urban Greening Factor requirements are complementary to biodiversity net gain and should not replace the statutory biodiversity metric calculations.
Native species are encouraged because they are better adapted to the local weather and soil conditions and will have co-evolved with other species within the ecosystem. Invasive species can outcompete native species, disrupt ecosystems and cause local or global extinctions. Invasive species can include those that are not listed on Schedule 9, for example plants such as bamboo. The RHS Plants for Bugs project32, recommends a dominance of native species and it is reasonable to assume that UK invertebrates are best adapted to UK plant species. Soft landscaping schemes should therefore include a wide range of native plant species that provide multiple benefits (nuts, fruit, nectar, pollen, larval host plants etc.) across the seasons, and any non-native/ornamental species used within the planting schedule be selected so as to enhance these resource benefits (e.g. to extend the flowering season).
In 2020, hedgehogs were put on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable to extinction in Great Britain. One of the main reasons why hedgehogs are declining in Britain is because our fences and walls are becoming more and more secure, reducing the amount of land available to them, and enclosed gardens can prevent hedgehog movement. Removing barriers, for example by making holes in garden fences and walls, will allow them to pass through, and a 13 cm by 13 cm space is sufficient for any hedgehog to pass through33.
1. Development must seek to support and deliver on the priorities, targets and actions for nature recovery as set out in the Greater Manchester Local Nature Recovery Strategy and the accompanying nature network map.